Ladders are frequently used when users have to access areas at a height. They may be widely used in such disparate fields from interior painting to maintenance of external telecommunications apparatus.
They consist, in the main, of two vertical spars connected by a set of cross-members called rungs. The rungs may be of a variety of cross sections, but are typically circular, triangular or largely cuboidal. They may be constructed from many materials, but are frequently made of metal or wood. To save on weight and material, some or all of the rungs may be hollow with a central bore.
They are not without their drawbacks however, and are the source of a multitude of accidents every year. Users may injure themselves by falling or the ladder slipping. Often this is caused by the user having to ascend the ladder with some form of hand-tool, paint-brush or the like in their hand, cutting down on the points of firm contact they have with the ladder. Further, this drawback may be exacerbated if the user is foolish enough to ascend or stand on the ladder with both hands occupied by such tools, for example, holding a paint-brush and a paint-pot, reducing their points of contact with the ladder to two: their feet. This can be extremely hazardous for the user, and the root cause of a great deal of injuries every year.
Prior art solutions include attachments that fit over the top of a set of ladders or step ladders, which have attachment sockets to receive the top of the vertical spars. These may not be possible if, as is often the case, the top of the vertical spars are resting against a wall for example. The user may wear a tool belt, but this may not be practical if they must employ some other form of harness around their waist, or is simply not a practical solution for the paint-brush and paint-pot example described above.
Further solutions include deploying an elongate bar within the hollow bore of the rung, and physically attaching it to the rung by way of a pin or a bolt arrangement. The elongate bar may be provided at one end with a shelf, allowing the user to rest, for example, a paint pot on it whilst painting.
This has several drawbacks. First, further holes must be drilled on each or all of the ladder rungs that the device will be attached to. This either has to be done as a later modification, or has to be built into ladders increasing manufacturing time and cost. Second, the holes would act as stress raisers in the rung, reducing the working capacity of the ladder and substantially increasing possible failure. Lastly, the user has to climb the ladder and will generally have to use two hands to properly fit the attachment, mitigating any benefit it may have.